At the Bed and Breakfast

If you have ever been to a bed and breakfast, then you know breakfast is one of the things that separates us from a hotel. After all, breakfast is in our name! Recently The Carriage House Inn Bed and Breakfast in historic Lynchburg was mentioned by the Virginia Travel Corporation (VTC) on their blog post, Everyone Loves Breakfast. There are over 400 bed and breakfasts in Virginia and to be listed with 9 other great bed and breakfasts is truly an honor.

Since the VTC blog post (click the link above to see that post) mentioned our Pumpkin Waffles I have included a link to that recipe. We hope you enjoy this recipe and the others on our blog as well as those of our fellow innkeepers. Remember, breakfast is the most important meal of the day so if you need inspiration please check out the blogs of those listed in the VTC blog.

This weekend was a contradiction. Saturday the sun was shining, the sky was a bright blue and temperatures were in the upper 50’s. Yes, it looks like spring is here. Time to think about cutting the grass and putting in the garden.

Saucer Magnolia covered in snow…Winter is back???

Sunday…The sun hasn’t been seen all day. The sky is grey and snow started falling about noon and five hours later our saucer magnolia blossoms are covered in snow. Time to get the snow shovel out and start clearing the walks and drive way. What happened to spring?

This is how we welcomed Spring this year. March 24, 2013

When the snow stopped falling Sunday night we had about 6.5 inches of the white stuff, more than we had all winter!

Lynchburg, Virginia had been a major transportation hub (for the railroads) for the past hundred years when World War II broke out. After the attack on Pearl Harbor tens of thousands of men enlisted to help defend our country and the railroads played a major role in transporting the troops to the various ports where transport ships delivered them to their various assignments. During those years thousands of our soldiers, sailors, marines and merchant marines passed through Lynchburg on their way to fight or on their way home from the war.

The future Carriage House Inn Bed and Breakfast

Mary Watts, daughter of R.T. and Emma Watts, who had the home built shortly after the Civil War, sells the home to Lena Fore in 1928. Lena was a single lady and business person who saw a need during the war and for several years after the war to provide temporary lodging for people who were passing through Lynchburg so she opened her home up as the Cabell and D Street Tourist Home. The photo above was on the reverse of her business card (above). A tourist home was essentially a bed and breakfast before that term was coined. It was a place where a traveler could rest and unwind before resuming their travels and during the four years of the war it is estimated that over 1,000 members of our armed forces stayed at the Cabell and D Street Tourist home.

If you happened to be passing through Lynchburg during WW II and you stayed with Lena at the Cabell and D Street Tourist home we would like to invite you back for a return visit. In return for sharing any stories or photos you may have about your stay we will honor the rate you paid back in the 1940’s which we estimate to be $4.50 per day.

The Carriage House Inn Bed and Breakfast

By the late 1950’s Lena became ill and her sister was appointed as her legal guardian In 1961 her sister had the home sold at public auction for $8,100.00. Mr. Johnson, a retired postman who delivered mail to the Daniel’s Hill neighborhood, converted the home into four apartments The carriage house was his workshop. The back part of the property was a large garden. After Mr. Johnson sold the property it went through a number of owners until 2003 when we purchased the home. About 3 years into our restoration we decided to do what Lena did 60 years earlier and open our home up to visitors passing through or visiting the Lynchburg area.

Today the huge trees that were on the property are gone but we still have the “Deluxe Accommodations with Private Baths” and we are “Away from the Noise” and of course we are still only 4 blocks to Main Street and all the shops and restaurants you will find there. Our phone number now has an area code plus four more numbers so give us a call at 434.846.1388 or book on-line from our website at www.TheCarriageHouseInnBandB.com.

No, I’m not going to break out in song (that’s a good thing for anyone within earshot). but I wanted to share our Christmas tree with you at The Carriage House Inn Bed and Breakfast. One of the nice things about living in an old house is that our foyer is huge by today’s standards. We put our tree at the staircase so guests can enjoy all sides of it as they head up to the guest bedrooms.

Nutcrackers on the Dining Room mantel

In addition to the tree we have an army of nutcrackers throughout the house. A recent guest wanted to know how many we have. The answer is too many when it comes to packing and unpacking them but I suspect there are a couple hundred of them standing sentry around the the house. Here are a few of them that are in our dining room, making sure the our guests are being looked after.

More of them

Speaking of an army of nutcrackers looking after our guests, this time of year we need to take time out of our busy schedules and think about our military, especially those troops that won’t be home to celebrate the holidays with their friends and family because they are deployed defending our freedom.

That’s enough…Yes, there are still more in the dining room.

We also need to pray for the families of those that won’t be coming home because they gave their lives fighting for our freedom. Freedom isn’t free and thousands of our soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines have paid the ultimate price for us to enjoy the life we have and freedoms we enjoy. My Christmas wish is that we could have peace on earth and goodwill towards man.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from Kathy and Mike at The Carriage House Inn Bed and Breakfast. We hope that 2012 was a good year for you and we wish you much success in 2013.

I hope you don’t think we serve clam chowder for breakfast! We don’t, but this recipe is so good I wanted to share it with you. During the cold winter months a bowl of hot soup is very comforting. This is a great dish to make for the family or invite friends and neighbors on those chilly winter nights. We will sometimes make three or four different types of soup and have the neighborhood over for a soup and salad night. The neighbors bring the bread and salads and we provide the soup. This one is always a favorite, best of all, it is quick and easy to make. If you are ever staying at The Carriage House Inn Bed and Breakfast during one of our soup and salad nights this will become one of your favorite dishes also.

Ingredients:

6 (6.5 ounce) cans of chopped NOT minced clams

1 cup minced onion

1 cup diced celery

2 cups cubed potatoes (cubed 1/2 inch)

1 cup diced carrots

1 1/2 sticks butter

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup corn starch

1 quart half and half cream

3 strips thick bacon

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

ground black pepper to taste

Directions:

Cook the bacon in a large skillet. When the bacon is done, remove bacon and set aside and leave the bacon grease in skillet.

Add the onions, carrots, celery and potatoes to the bacon grease and cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes. While that is cooking, open the 6 cans of diced clams separating the clams from the clam juice. After the vegetables have cooked for about 5 minutes add the clam juice and continue to cook for about 15 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

Meanwhile, in a large saucepan heat the butter over medium heat until melted. Whisk in the flour until smooth. Add the half and half and corn starch. Stir constantly until thick and smooth (about 15-20 minutes).

Add the vegetables to the cream and continue to stir until combined and hot (don’t bring to boil). When the mixture is hot, add the clams. Don’t cook clams too long or they will be tough and chewy. When clams are heated through (1-2 minutes) stir in the vinegar and season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately with a crusty bread and salad. Crumple the bacon into small pieces and add bacon on top of the chowder in the bowls. Enjoy!

During the month of December, to celebrate the 12th month of 2012, The Carriage House Inn Bed and Breakfast in Lynchburg, VA is offering a very special two-night stay.

Stay two nights and your second night will cost only $121.20, yes, only $121.20. Your two night stay includes your room of choice, our legendary 4-course breakfast each morning, our luxurious room ammenities and concierge-level service with assistance in planning your day and dining. Take advantage of our on-site Massage and BodyWorks Studio where you can enjoy our Peppermint Perfection Body Care treatment (a scrub & massage) that will refresh, stimulate and envelope you in scents reminiscent of your childhood.

This special pricing is valid December 1-29, 2012. You must mention this special pricing when making your reservation. Not available with any existing reservation and cannot be combined with any other special, voucher or discount. Pricing does not include taxes. Call us at 434.846.1388 to make your December 2012 reservation. We look forward to hearing from you soon!